Arthur's Mysterious Reappearing Shirt
by Catindahat
Summary: Arthur's in a little bit of trouble and turns to Merlin for help, that was his first mistake. Well trusting that Merlin would do his job properly and putting the damn thing on in the first place were really his first mistakes. Title says it all really.
1. Part 1

**So what started as a silly little one shot seemed to expand as I wrote it so this is going to have a least one more chapter depending on how carried away I get. For any of you who read my fic Pause For Thought this came from the fact that in the slash ending Arthur's shirt reappeared half-way through (thanks to those of you who pointed that out so I could change it). Anyway when I realisedplot bunnies kind of went crazy in my head resulting in this. I'd love to know what you think so please review. Btw this isn't slash, well i suppose it could be seen as it if you tilt your head to the side and squint slightly. I doubt any of you have bothered to read this far through my ramblings but I'll stop now. Enjoy! x**

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Merlin was walking through the castle with a spring in his step and his trademark goofy smile on his face. Camelot hadn't been attacked since the great dragon had left, he was no longer having his nights interrupted by the angry dragon demanding to be freed and Arthur was too preoccupied with overseeing the castle's rebuild to pile too much work on him; things were looking up. Well the castle was still half destroyed after the dragon's attack which meant that Merlin had to clean up the leaks coming through the holes in the ceiling when it rained, which was most days at the moment, and the ache in the pit of his stomach reminding him of all he'd lost never seemed to fully disappear, but Merlin found that he could distract himself from the pain by staying busy. Apart from that life was looking good.

With a sigh Merlin rounded the corner. His smile had slipped and there was no more spring in his step. The moment the bad thoughts rushed in Merlin never seemed to be able to get rid of them. He knew Arthur was at training at the moment so he was going to be left on his own with just his depressing thoughts for the next couple of hours while he cleaned his pratness' chambers.

Pushing the door open slightly Merlin yelped in surprise as a hand grabbed the front of his shirt, yanking him into the room and slamming the door shut behind him. Merlin's eyes darted round the room as he went instantly into full alert, looking to see if his assailant was alone. However one look at the man who had dragged him into the room told Merlin that there was no real danger; it was Arthur.

"Oh for god's sake Merlin, there's no need to look so scared. I'm not going to hurt you." Arthur scoffed, releasing his shirt and stomping over to his bed.

Merlin eyed the prince warily; he could see the furious look on Arthur's face and knew he was in a foul mood. He half considered making a run for it before Arthur started off on what looked like it was going to be a long rant about something Merlin didn't doubt he cared nothing about. Though, he thought with a sigh, the consequences would probably be a lot worse in the long term if he did run. And he really didn't want to visit the stocks; he'd successfully been avoiding them recently and was reluctant to break the habit.

He stood quietly by the door, a rare occurrence for him, and waited for whatever Arthur clearly wanted to get off his chest. However the prince remained silent, a rare event for him as well. Merlin frowned and took a few tentative steps forward, not wanting to bring Arthur's wrath upon him. Frowning in confusion Merlin was just about to speak when Arthur spun round and scrutinised him. Merlin gulped at Arthur's gaze but stayed put, waiting for Arthur to come to whatever conclusion he was looking for.

"I can trust you can't I Merlin?" Arthur asked suddenly.

Merlin frowned at the question which appeared to have come out of the blue. He wasn't sure what had prompted this sort of behaviour from Arthur. He briefly feared that Arthur had found out about his magic and this was how he was going to broach the subject, in the usual roundabout fashion he was so fond off. However he dismissed this as he hadn't used his magic in weeks. Well had needed to mend the smashed window in his chambers and polish Arthur's armour the previous day. And then there had been that time he'd had to use it to mend Arthur's favourite tunic because he was horrible at sowing the normal way. But truly they didn't really count.

"Yes?"

Merlin's reply came out more as a question than an answer but Arthur didn't seem to notice. Seemingly satisfied with the answer Arthur turned away from Merlin with a sigh and sank into a chair. The expression on his face looked to Merlin as if he was having trouble expressing his next thought. Merlin thought it best to leave Arthur with his internal battle and remained silent.

Eventually Arthur seemed to come to some decision at looked at Merlin with a pained expression.

"Merlin I need your help." Arthur said sounding uncomfortable.

The young warlock sniggered as he realised that asking him for help was causing the prince so much pain. Arthur glared at Merlin but other than that his expression seemed to become defeated, something that was unusual for him.

"Of course _Sire_, what can I do for you?"

From the look he shot Merlin Arthur clearly wasn't pleased with the sarcastic way Merlin said 'sire'. But he was used to his manservant's insolence and let it slide this time. Instead he rose from the chair and stepped into the middle of the room. Merlin wasn't sure what had gotten into the prince as he was acting stranger than usual. However he decided pointing this out would definitely end up with him in the stocks and so kept his mouth closed, he seemed to be getting better at controlling the thoughts that would get him in trouble.

The strangeness continued as Arthur seemed to hesitate for a moment before starting to pull his shirt off. Merlin's eyes widened in surprise at this. It wasn't like it was anything he hadn't seen before, he was Arthur's manservant for crying out loud, but the fact that Arthur had asked him for help and then started to strip caused all sorts of thoughts to run through his head.

"Err Arthur, I don't think..." He started to say before the prince cut him off.

"Good, let's keep it that way." Arthur teased, "Just shut up and watch."

Merlin shifted uncomfortably on the spot, undecided over whether this scenario was really bad or really good. He watched nervously as Arthur dropped the shirt on floor, staring at it intently. He took a steadying breath and turned his back on the item on the floor.

A gasp left Merlin lips as Arthur turned to face him. He stared at Arthur, shock written all over his face. The moment Arthur had taken his eyes off his shirt it had somehow reappeared on him. Arthur was now, once again, wearing the red tunic he had removed. A small frown creased Merlin's brow as he replayed what had just happened. The tunic had just disappeared from the ground and Arthur had mysteriously been wearing it once again without making any movement. Merlin was sure this was the result of magic but why anyone would want to curse a shirt so that Arthur could never take it off was a mystery to him.

Suddenly the realisation of what this truly meant hit Merlin and he doubled over laughing. Arthur growled angrily at his hysterical manservant but realised that it was probably better to let Merlin get it out of his system if he wanted any real help from the idiot. Merlin was clutching his stomach as he struggled for breath. He couldn't believe that the huge problem Arthur had been looking so serious about was the fact he couldn't get his shirt off. For some reason Merlin found this hysterical and not even Arthur's furious expression could dampen the joy he was going to get from this.

After a couple of minutes Arthur's impatience got the better of him. Merlin was still laughing and it was really pissing him off. He was having to restrain himself from hitting his manservant. Instead he took a less violent path.

"Oh shut up Merlin, it's not that funny." He snapped, "I need your help. If I'd wanted someone to laugh at me I'd have gone to see Morgana."

That instantly sobered Merlin up as he remembered what had happened to the girl. Pain shot through the pit of his stomach as he remembered her betrayal and the terrible decision he'd had to make. Arthur seemed to realise what he'd said and he felt sadness well inside him. He missed the girl that was practically his sister and sometimes forgot that she had been taken by Morgause and managed to convince himself that she was still in the castle trying to come up with another way to annoy him. He sighed and closed his eyes to prevent the tears that were welling up in his eyes from spilling over. He refused to cry in front of Merlin. He had told the boy that no man was worth his tears, though on reflection Morgana wasn't a man no matter how many times she tried to persuade him that she was far superior to any man. Nevertheless he refused to show weakness in front of anyone, even Merlin.

"She would have loved this." Merlin whispered softly, "She'd think it was hilarious."

Arthur opened his eyes to meet Merlin's gaze. He could see the agony in his friend's eyes and wondered, not for the first time, if there had been something going on between his manservant and foster sister. Merlin had certainly seemed to take her kidnapping much harder than their casual friendship should have proven.

"Yeah, you're right." Arthur replied, a fond smile played at his lips as he remembered her.

"So," Merlin said, swiftly changing the subject before the guilt and betrayal tore him apart, "Tell me how this happened."

Arthur seemed to hesitate and Merlin rolled his eyes at him.

"Come on Arthur; get it off your chest. Oh wait you can't, that's the problem."

Merlin burst out laughing again at his joke and it was Arthur's turn to roll his eyes. Although Merlin was sure he saw a smile tug at the corner of Arthur's mouth, though it was gone so quickly he could have imagined it.

"Oh for god's sake Merlin, grow up." Arthur huffed, "What am I going to do?"

"Well the obvious option is to wear the same tunic for the rest of your life. Though you might start to smell a bit." Merlin choked out through his laughter.

Arthur narrowed his eyes dangerously at his manservant and turned away from him angrily.

"I don't know why I ever thought you'd be any help. Shut the door on your way out." Arthur said coldly, his back to Merlin.

The other boy took a deep breath, calming his giggles, and wiped the tears of laughter that had been pouring down his face. He finally managed to get his laughter under control and took a couple of steps towards the disgruntled prince.

"I'm sorry Arthur, but you have to admit this is a little bit funny."

Arthur turned to face him with a look on his face that clearly said he was going to admit no such thing. Merlin rolled his eyes once again, smiling fondly at Arthur's stubbornness. The prince's eyes narrowed as he inspected Merlin suspiciously. However he seemed to dismiss whatever thought had crossed his mind as he leant on the wall behind him casually.

"You know if I didn't know better I'd think that you had something to do with this, you are clearly getting way too much enjoyment from it." Arthur mused.

Merlin flashed him a cheeky smile while inside his stomach clenched. If only Arthur knew that he could be the one behind it. He thanked whatever being that was out there, not for the first time, that Arthur thought him too idiotic to even consider the fact that he could have magic. He sighed and rubbed his temples. He knew he'd have to tell Arthur one day, and wasn't expecting the outcome to be good.

"So, how did this" – he waved his hand to indicate Arthur's predicament – "happen?" Merlin asked.

"I don't know!" Arthur exclaimed exasperated, "You didn't turn up this morning when you were supposed to so I just grabbed the first tunic off the pile you have yet to put away and put it on. Then I came up here to get ready for training, which you were supposed to be here to help me with, and I couldn't get this damn thing off."

Merlin chose to let the fact that he was helping Gaius to look at some of the victims of the dragon's attack who had to come and collect more burn ointment every week, which somehow seemed a little bit more important than helping Arthur get dressed which he could clearly do on his own, go. A small frown creased his brow as what Arthur had said at one point hit him.

"Wait a minute you took the shirt off a pile that I hadn't put away?"

Arthur nodded at him patronisingly, confused as to why this was the point Merlin managed to pick up on.

"But I put the clean stuff away yesterday and I haven't done any of your laundry today." Merlin said slowly.

Both boys stood in silence for a moment, the implication of what Merlin had said sinking in. Arthur turned towards his table and Merlin followed his gaze to see a seemingly innocent pile of clothing sitting on it. Merlin moved over to it and riffled through the pile. He recognised all the items as Arthur's; his favourite blue tunic and a lode of red ones that looked identical to Merlin but Arthur was convinced he could tell apart.

Satisfied that none of these items were new Merlin turned to inspect the one Arthur was wearing. He moved over to Arthur and took the bottom of his tunic in his hands, running it through his fingers. Frowning he inspected the rest of it. At first glance it looked like one of Arthur's many red tunics, his obsession with them astounded Merlin, however when he looked closer, the material was much rougher than the expensive one the rest of his wardrobe was made from and the neckline was slightly different.

"Arthur this shirt isn't yours."

Arthur looked at Merlin as if he was stupid, which on reflection he probably was, and restrained the urge to cuff him round the head.

"Really Merlin? I hadn't noticed that." Arthur said sarcastically.

"I just meant that it's not one of your shirts that have been enchanted, someone planted this one." Merlin said calmly, ignoring Arthur's tone, "Though it seems they did some of your washing for you so it's not all bad."

Sighing in exasperation Arthur glared at Merlin who really didn't seem concerned enough about the whole situation.

"Merlin that is your job, not some crazy sorcerers." He glanced at the pile on the table, "Are you sure you didn't wash these?" He asked.

"I don't know, I could have done." Arthur just looked at him, eyebrows raised, "Well how am I supposed to tell each individual shirt apart? Let's be honest Arthur half your wardrobe looks practically the same as this!"

He waved his hand to indicate the one Arthur was wearing. With another sigh Arthur sank onto his bed feeling disgruntled. Merlin remained where he was, his mind spinning as he tried to work out how this shirt got into Arthur's room and why anyone in their right mind would go through all this trouble just to enchant Arthur's shirt so that he couldn't take it off.

"Right well I think our first priority should be to get you out of that shirt permanently."

Arthur propped himself up on his arms and glared at Merlin angrily, again.

"Why Merlin that's genius, how did I not think of that?"

Merlin chose to ignore the patronising tone of Arthur's comment and instead held his hand out, palm up.

"Give me your shirt." He instructed.

Under any other circumstances Arthur would have made a comment about how it was his job to give orders not Merlin, however he just sat up fully and pulled the shirt over his head. Handing it over Arthur made sure he kept looking at it, knowing from experience that the moment he looked away he would end up wearing it again. Merlin took the garment and turned round, surveying the room for a way to dispose of it. However the moment he turned far enough round that his back was blocking Arthur's view of the shirt Merlin found his hand inexplicably empty. He looked back at Arthur to see that the disgruntled prince was once again wearing the tunic.

Stifling the laughter that was welling up inside of him at this sight, Merlin just held out his hand again waiting for Arthur to hand over the offending item. Scanning the room while Arthur stripped Merlin's gaze landed on the half open window and a plan formed in his mind. Making sure to move so that Arthur could still see the tunic Merlin made his way over to the window. He pushed it open and gazed out to see the practically deserted courtyard miles below.

Hoping that, if this didn't work no one would notice the disappearing shirt, Merlin threw the item out the window. It flew through the air for a few seconds and Merlin had a brief period of elation where he thought that it had worked. However this was short lived as half way down the shirt disappeared. Merlin quickly ducked back inside so that no bystander who might have noticed the shirt disappearing would connect him to it. Turning round he saw that it had magically reappeared on Arthur who was looking at Merlin eyebrows raised.

"What?" The young warlock asked confused.

"Well I could have told you that wasn't going to work; I've already tried throwing it out the window."

Merlin huffed in response and cast around for another solution.

"You could have told me that earlier." He sighed.

"And spoil my fun? You looked so pleased with yourself, it was funny." Arthur said with an evil smile.

Merlin stuck his tongue out childishly and held his hand out expectantly. Arthur looked at him confused for a moment before realisation dawned on him and he quickly divested himself of the shirt.

Absently running his fingers through the troublesome material Merlin chewed his lip in contemplation. Spotting the dying flames in the fireplace Merlin made his way over to it. Dropping the shirt next to him he knelt down and poked at the embers, coaxing them back to life. Making sure his back was firmly to Arthur Merlin's eyes flashed gold as the silent spell made the flames roar into life.

"As nice as it is to see you fulfilling your duties for once Merlin, it would be even better if you could focus on the problem at hand." Arthur complained exasperated, too distracted to notice how unnaturally fast the flames had returned to life.

Said warlock decided not to dignify Arthur's comment with a response Merlin picked the shirt back up and threw it into the flames. His knees complained slightly as he stood up and he shook out the ache of having kept them bent too long as he watched the material blacken.

He noticed Arthur move to stand next to him and glanced up to see him staring into the fire. Merlin could see the flames reflected in the prince's eyes as he watched the material burn.

"You know that's actually a good idea, I can't believe I didn't think of that." Arthur said quietly.

"We don't know it's worked yet." He replied softly.

Arthur waited a couple more moments to be sure that the tunic had well and truly been reduced to ash before he closed his eyes. The moment he did he knew it hadn't worked, as he felt the material on his chest, but he kept his eyes closed as if he could fool himself into believing otherwise. However he couldn't hide from the truth for long and eventually he dragged his eyes open to be met with Merlin's blue ones. He could see his despair mirrored in his friend's eyes but there was something else behind it, was it guilt?

Merlin sighed in despair as the shirt reappeared on Arthur looking none the worse for wear for its trip into the fire other than the slightly smoky smell that was filling the warlock's nostrils. He turned away from Arthur, running his hands through his hair angrily. He knew that there was a simple solution to the problem at his fingertips but he really didn't want to have to resort to that, there must be another way.

However no matter how he looked at it he couldn't come up with another solution that didn't involve magic. It had been cursed by magic; it only made sense that magic would be the way to reverse it. Merlin knew that Arthur was not going to take the news well, especially considering his current condition.

Merlin resolved that he would only resort to magic if he was one hundred percent sure that there was no other way to fix it. However as he turned back to face Arthur that resolve faltered. The utterly despondent look on Arthur's face made Merlin's heart ache to see his friend in such despair. He had seen so many people hurt recently, many of which was his fault, and he couldn't stand to see Arthur looking so depressed when he knew he could fix this with a snap of his fingers. Well maybe that was an exaggeration but it was the principle of it.

"Arthur?" He started hesitantly, "If I told you that I think I know a way to fix this you have to promise not to get mad."

Arthur narrowed his eyes at Merlin's suspicious words and scrutinised the other boy. He'd always known Merlin was hiding something, there was something about him that Arthur couldn't quite put his finger on, and he felt a childish excitement that he might be finally finding out what it was.

"Ok I promise, what is it?" He asked, practically bouncing with excitement inside. Practically being the key word, princes did not bounce excitedly.

"Arthur, I'm a warlock."


	2. Part 2

**Yes I know its been a while but things have been manic. You'll be pleased to know (or maybe not) that this isn't the last chapter. I think there will be one more after this, possibly two but it depends how much more carried away I get. Though it shouldn't be such a long break till the next chapter as it is nearly done. Thanks for the huge amount of positive feedback I received for the last chapter and I hope you enjoy this instalment. Thanks to Roses-as-lips for the beta. Enjoy. x**

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**_Part two_**

Silence followed Merlin's words. Arthur's expression was unchanged and he hadn't moved a muscle. Merlin inspected him warily, unsure how he was reacting to his announcement. However the prince seemed to be frozen in place, probably in shock. Merlin bit his lip in worry as he waited for the inevitable explosion, but Arthur didn't seemed inclined to move. After a couple of moments Arthur eventually seemed to return to his senses and he blinked at Merlin in confusion.

"What?"

Merlin barely heard his quiet words over his pounding heart. He could feel the built up tension and worry filling him up and he took a nervous step backwards, away from Arthur. However the prince seemed to be waiting for an answer so Merlin took a steadying breath and repeated his revelation.

"I'm a warlock."

There was another brief, tension filled pause before Arthur face cracked into a smile. Merlin frowned in confusion at Arthur's reaction; this was the last thing he expected to happen. He had hoped that Arthur would eventually be okay with it but he had expected some shouting at the least before that happened. But Arthur seemed to be taking it really well.

"That's what I thought you said." Arthur said with a laugh, "You're a warlock, good one Merlin. Now coming up with something helpful would be nice."

Merlin's blood ran cold as he realised why Arthur was smiling. It wasn't that he was okay with it; it was because he didn't believe him. Merlin wasn't sure whether this was Arthur turning to denial instead of dealing with the issue or that he truly believed Merlin to be too much of an idiot to possess magic.

"Arthur I'm not joking, I really am a warlock."

Merlin squirmed slightly as Arthur's piercing gaze landed on him. He stayed perfectly still as Arthur inspected him closely, clearly looking for the truth in his manservant's face. However whatever Arthur found caused him to step backwards and he put a hand on the wall beside him to steady himself.

Arthur ran a hand distractedly through his hair as he surveyed Merlin. He'd always thought that the other boy was as easy to read as an open book and the expression on Merlin's face at that moment told Arthur that he was telling the truth. However part of his mind was telling him that if Merlin really was telling the truth then maybe he wasn't as easy to read as Arthur thought and so he could be wrong. Even to himself the logic sounded messed up but Arthur clung to it, hoping that this was all one of Merlin's jokes.

"Merlin this isn't funny." Arthur said seriously, "Can we please focus on finding a solution."

"It's the truth Arthur." Merlin said quietly, "And I think the only way to solve this."

However Arthur didn't register the last part of what Merlin said, all he heard was Merlin telling him that he was truly a warlock. And suddenly something clicked in Arthur's head. The reason Merlin always defended sorcerers a little too passionately, the shifty way he avoided answering some of Arthur's questions, and the feeling Arthur had had ever since they had met; the feeling that there was something else to Merlin that nobody seemed to be able to put their finger on.

Arthur sagged against the wall he had been supporting himself on and rubbed his temples with one hand. He had closed his eyes, unable to look at Merlin any longer. The pleading look on Merlin's open face was causing a whole new level of conflict inside the prince. The boy's wide innocent eyes were filled with the longing for Arthur to understand and he felt he would crumble if he looked into them any longer.

However now he was free of their conflicting gaze a whole new wave of emotion flooded through him. Anger seeped into him as he realised what this truly meant. Merlin was a sorcerer; he practised magic illegally in Camelot. Arthur didn't understand how Merlin could do that to him. After all he had seen, after all they had been through together, all the magical evil they had beaten together; Merlin had still chosen to join them.

The anger was soon joined by betrayal as Arthur realised that after all they'd been through together Merlin hadn't told him, hadn't even given the smallest hint. He thought they trusted each other, thought they'd moved past the restrictions that their social positions held and had become friends, though Arthur would never admit it out loud.

His eyes shot open and he saw Merlin stagger back in shock at the anger in his eyes. Merlin felt tears stinging the inside of his eyes as he saw the pure hate in Arthur's gaze. His breath caught in his throat as he felt himself start to panic. Arthur wouldn't really hand him over to his father, would he? After all they'd been through Merlin had believed that their friendship was stronger than that. However the look in his eyes was telling Merlin otherwise. The only small slither of hope he had was the glimpse he caught of pain and vulnerability behind Arthur's mask of anger. Merlin was praying that Arthur's anger was stemming from that feeling of betrayal that Merlin didn't tell him rather than actual hate for what he was.

"Get out."

The words were so quiet that Merlin almost missed them. However, even if he had, the look on Arthur's face was portraying the message loud and clear. Despite this Merlin didn't move. He couldn't leave now, he had to explain, had to make Arthur understand. Merlin knew that if he didn't explain now then he would never get the chance.

"Arthur I..."

"I said get out!" Arthur bellowed at him.

Merlin staggered back at the shout and stared at Arthur for a moment before fleeing the room.

Arthur could feel himself filled with anger, betrayal and hurt and couldn't get his brain to function properly through the mist of emotion. He strode into the middle of his room blindly, unsure as to what he was doing. _How could he, _was the only logical thought running through Arthur's head. He wasn't even sure whether it was how could he be practising an illegal art or how could he not tell Arthur. All he knew was that he couldn't be around Merlin any longer or he would do something that he might come to regret.

Running a hand through his hair agitatedly Arthur surveyed the room for something, anything, that might fix it. His gaze landed on his training gear and he strode towards it purposefully. The repetitive comfort of his training always managed to make him feel calmer no matter how stressed he was. He knew that a long session in the training ground would help him to process the new information and might help him come to a decision about what the hell he was going to do.

Moving towards the table where his gear was laid out Arthur stripped his shirt off and threw it behind him, grabbing the fresh one he preferred to train in. However the moment the shirt had left his grasp and disappeared behind him Arthur found himself wearing it again. It took a moment for his brain to catch up with what had just happened but the moment he did everything that had happened previous to Merlin's revelation came flooding back.

Arthur remembered the ridiculous situation he was stuck in and angrily threw the shirt he had picked up back onto the table. He felt a slight relief at channelling his anger through that action. Grabbing the nearest thing to him, which happened to be a vase that Merlin had failed to put in its right place, Arthur spun round and threw it against the wall. It shattered against it with a satisfying crash and water trickled down the wall from the point of contact. Arthur felt an overwhelming need to release all the tension and anger inside of him. If he couldn't release it though beating some unsuspecting knight into a pulp then he was going to have to find a different solution.

His gaze fell on the incriminating pile of clothes on the table, the pile that blasted shirt had come from, and he felt the anger welling inside of him again. He grabbed them, throwing them haphazardly around his room. Soon the rest of his belongings were joining them as rage overtook Arthur and he threw anything he could get his hands on around the room with as much force as he could muster.

Eventually there wasn't anything left for Arthur to break and he stood in the middle of the room, panting heavily, surveying the mess he'd just made. A small voice in the back of his head, which sounded annoyingly like Merlin, was telling him that this might have been a little bit of an overreaction. But before he could pursue that thought there was a tentative knock on the door. Arthur knew straight away that his visitor wasn't Merlin. There was no way Merlin would knock, even after what had just happened, and Arthur doubted he was going to come back so soon after the way he had reacted. He briefly debated ignoring whoever it was but the knock came again, more persistent this time.

"What?" He snapped angrily at the closed door.

It was pushed opened and a concerned looking Sir Leon entered the room. He moved forward but stopped when he saw the state the room was in. Arthur watched Leon do a once over, surveying the damage, before turning his attention back to the prince.

"Sire is everything alright? We heard crashes and..." Leon trailed off; unsure what to say about the state the room was in, "What happened?"

"I'm redecorating." Arthur explained shortly, saying the first thing that came to mind.

Arthur could see the exact moment that Leon realised that Arthur had made this mess himself. The expression crossing Leon's face was almost comical and Arthur was sure that, had Merlin been there, he would have been stifling his laughter. However thoughts of Merlin caused new waves of emotions to crash through him and he clamped down on his thoughts, pushing Merlin out of his head.

"Do you need any help?" Leon asked hesitantly before voicing the real question he wanted the answer to, "Sire, are you okay?"

"I'm fine Leon, you may go now." Arthur said coolly.

His unnaturally calm tone seemed to worry Leon more than anything else he had seen since entering the room.

"Sire maybe I should stay."

"Go Leon." Arthur instructed, his tone of voice indicating there was no room for negotiation.

However it seemed that today Arthur was cursed with people who refused to do as they were told. As Merlin had before him, Leon hesitated but didn't move. He seemed worried about the prince's mental state and was reluctant to leave him alone.

"Sire I really think..."

"Now Sir Leon."

Arthur's tone was dangerous and Leon knew from previous experience what would happen if he stayed. He knew that he wasn't going to get through to his prince when he was in this state, if he wanted to make sure Arthur was alright he would have to find someone who could. Leon bowed respectfully before exiting the room. He hurried down the corridor, knowing he would have to be quick if he was to find the prince's manservant before Arthur did anything stupid.

Arthur glowered at the closed door before moving to sink down onto the bed. He sunk his head into his hands, massaging his temple with both hands. He realised that trashing his room perhaps wasn't the best idea but brushed that thought away, Merlin could fix it later.

The thought of his manservant sent a stab of pain shooting through his chest. He was the whole reason behind this problem. He sighed in despair and realised that he was actually going to have to sort out the disaster that this afternoon had turned into. He closed his eyes and let everything wash over him.

Merlin was a sorcerer. That was what this whole thing boiled down to. Arthur realised there were so many problems with this that he was going to have to tackle it slowly. He knew that Merlin was aware of the penalties for practising magic in Camelot and, although Arthur may claim otherwise sometimes, Merlin wasn't as stupid as he looked. Arthur was pretty certain that there must be a reason behind why Merlin had decided to risk his life to practice this cursed craft because Merlin wasn't suicidal.

However this lead to another problem; his whole life Arthur had been taught that magic was evil as was everyone who practised it. His father had drilled into him since he was a child that magic corrupted a person's soul, turning even the purest person evil. But Merlin wasn't evil. Clumsy, bumbling, wears his heart on his sleeve Merlin wasn't evil, he couldn't be.

Arthur had always believed his father's teachings, followed his instructions to the letter. Well until recently that is. Although he had seen magical threat after magical threat, seen his father proved right time and time again, there had always been those occasions that made him stop and think. Maybe he didn't have all the facts; maybe his father wasn't entirely right. For if Merlin had magic then surely that proved that his father was wrong, for there was no way that Merlin fit the picture of sorcerers that Uther portrayed.

But then again, as Arthur thought back, he realised that it wasn't till Merlin had arrived in Camelot that Arthur had begun to question his father's methods. He had always thought that Merlin's presence had changed him into a better person however a niggling voice was telling him that maybe Merlin had been using his magic to turn him against his father. But this sounded ridiculous even to his suspicious mind. He knew he had become a better person through Merlin's influence. Guinevere had told him often enough that he had grown into a great prince and Arthur, though he would never tell him, owed most of this to Merlin.

Worst of all however was the fact that Merlin hadn't told him. Arthur had thought their friendship, unusual as it was, was stronger than that. Even if he decided he was okay with Merlin possessing magic, something he still wasn't sure he was, there was still the fact that he had betrayed all the trust that Arthur had put into him by not telling him. He had thought of Merlin as his closest ally and it turned out he was hiding this huge bombshell from him and, if he was honest, that was what was hurting him the most.

A wry smile crossed Arthur's lips as he realised he was no closer to deciding what on earth he was going to about this whole situation. And on top of that he still needed to get out of this damn shirt, a feat he couldn't achieve on his own. Suddenly Arthur started to laugh as he realised the ridiculousness of this situation. After all they had been through, after every life threatening situation they had been in, every occasion that Arthur was now coming to suspect Merlin must have used magic in to have come through so miraculously unscathed, it was over a stupid reappearing shirt that Arthur found out his secret.

His laughter died away as he realised that he did sound a bit crazy, laughing to himself like a mad man. He sincerely hoped that Leon wasn't outside his rooms as it would probably confirm his worry that Arthur had lost his mind. Thankfully Arthur was pretty certain that Leon wouldn't go to his father with his suspicions without solid proof.

He stood up; stretching as he tried to decided his next course of action. He had already tried every way he could think of to get rid of the shirt so that was out of the window. There was no way he could just continue on with his daily routine as if nothing was wrong, he was sure that the weight of all that had happened must be written across his face. This meant that he would have to avoid his father at all costs until he had worked this whole thing out with Merlin as he knew he would be wracked with guilt until he decided a firm course of action. He couldn't visit Morgana which under normal circumstances would be his next choice, as a good argument with her would always distract him from his problems, since they were no closer to finding her; their most recent search parties having come back with nothing. He sighed angrily as he knew the only option left:

He was going to have to go find Merlin...crap.


	3. Part 3

**There is going to be one more chapter after this one and no more, I mean it this time. However I'm going on holiday on Monday for a week so it won't be up till after that I'm afraid. Though on the plus side a week lying by the pool in the sun will mean I'll have lots of time to write so it shouldn't be too long after I get back that the next chapter is up. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thanks to everyone who's taken the time to read this and special thanks to everyone who's reviewed and Roses-as-lips for the beta. Enjoy. x**

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Part three

Merlin fled Arthur's chambers, closing the door swiftly behind him. He stared at it, frozen in shock. He backed up to lean against the wall opposite the door. He couldn't manage to tear his gaze away from the block of wood that separated him from the person who held his life in his hands. Eventually his legs gave way and he sank to the floor, leaning his head against the cool brick of the wall behind him. He wished he knew what Arthur was thinking, how he was dealing with the situation. He briefly considered going back in and making Arthur listen to his explanation but his courage gave out, he didn't want to have to face Arthur looking like that ever again.

He closed his eyes in despair and cursed his bad fortune. What on earth had possessed him to tell Arthur? There were many options they hadn't tried yet; he hadn't even asked Gaius if he knew of a solution. For all he knew there was a perfectly simple, non magical solution to this whole mess that wouldn't have resulted in him revealing his secret. He despaired at himself, all it had taken was for Arthur to look at him with that heartbreaking look in his eyes and he had Merlin doing anything he could think of to make things right. Will had always said that Merlin was a sucker for people in distress and his need to help people would get him into trouble one day. Well it looked like his old friend had been right.

A loud crash jolted Merlin out of his thoughts and he looked back at the door in front of him fearfully. Another bang followed this and soon all that could be heard was the loud crashes coming from behind the door. Merlin scrambled to his feet, knowing that if Arthur found him out here now it was not going to bode well for him. He realised that the angry noises coming from behind the door were telling him all he needed to know about how Arthur was taking the news.

Without another seconds hesitation Merlin set off sprinting down the corridor. He passed many people who called out to him, concerned, but he ignored them all, focused on his destination. He knew that Arthur wasn't taking his news well and, while he hoped that eventually Arthur would calm down and come round, he couldn't take the risk that it would be anytime soon.

Skidding to a halt Merlin pushed open the door to the physician's chambers and hurried inside. So focused on what he had to do he didn't notice Gaius until he grabbed his arm.

"Merlin?" He asked concerned, "What's going on? Why the rush?"

Although his young ward was always rushing around, late for one thing or another, Gaius could tell that there was something different today. The panicked look in his eyes and the scared expression on his face told Gaius there was something very wrong. When Merlin didn't answer Gaius repeated his question.

"Merlin what's happened?"Then a sudden thought hit him, "Is it Arthur? Is he okay?"

"He's fine." Merlin muttered distractedly, "Oh Gaius I've done something stupid."

"Well there's nothing new there my boy." Gaius joked, trying to lighten the boy's spirits but to no avail, "Tell me what's happened."

Gaius firmly directed Merlin into a chair, ignoring his protests, and sat himself on the bench by his worktable, looking at his ward expectantly. Merlin took a deep breath and gazed into the trusting face of his mentor as he spoke.

"Arthur knows." He said simply, not knowing how else to explain.

Merlin watched as he saw Gaius freeze. He knew that there was nothing else that Arthur could have found out that would make Merlin so frantic other than his big secret. Merlin watched carefully as Gaius processed this and waited for the question he knew was coming.

"How?"

Merlin sighed; knowing that no matter how he phrased this, it wasn't going to sound good. He knew, from the moment he stepped into the room, that Gaius was not going to be pleased with the turn of events. He could only hope that the older man would come up with a solution to the mess he had gotten himself into.

"I told him."

Hearing it out loud it sounded even worse than it had in his head and Merlin braced himself for the scolding he knew was going to come.

"You told him?" Gaius asked in disbelief, "After all the effort we have put into making sure that no one finds out your secret you went and told the crowned prince! Do you have a death wish?"

"I thought he'd be okay with it, I didn't think it would be this bad."

"He's not ready Merlin, he's only seen the bad in magic, he doesn't yet know the good it can bring." Gaius sighed, "He's been brought up on Uther's prejudice, he doesn't know anything else."

"I know all that!" Merlin exclaimed, "I just thought, once he let me explain, that he might come to understand. But he wouldn't even let me explain."

The tears that Merlin had been compressing inside started to leak out and slowly run down his cheeks. Gaius' face softened as he realised how bad Arthur's reaction must have been to cause this response from Merlin. He reached over and patted Merlin's shoulder comfortingly. Merlin smiled up at him through his tears and tried to get his emotions under control.

"Why don't you tell me what happened." Gaius suggested gently.

So Merlin filled him in on everything that had happened that afternoon. However when he reached the bit where he revealed his secret Merlin found that he couldn't go on. He couldn't relive the horror of Arthur's reaction again and he found his voice caught in his throat. Fortunately Gaius understood and didn't press the issue.

"After every life and death situation you two have been in together, Arthur finds out your secret over a shirt?"

Gaius couldn't quite believe that this was how Arthur had discovered it. Not through Merlin revealing himself to save Arthur and Camelot or even through Arthur catching him in the act, but over a stupid shirt. Merlin snorted and Gaius' words, having thought the exact same thing moments before. Gaius looked down at his young ward and felt fear for the boy well inside of him. If Arthur's reaction had been so terrible that Merlin couldn't even speak about it then it couldn't bode well for the young warlock; Gaius had to get him out of here.

"Merlin you have to leave."

Merlin looked up at Gaius with confused eyes. Was Gaius throwing him out? Was he going to abandon him now there was a risk that he could be caught hiding a sorcerer? Merlin's already fragile heart broke a little more at that thought. He couldn't lose his best friend and his father figure in the same day; he didn't think he'd be able to cope with that. However Gaius' next words soothed his worry.

"If Arthur's gone to the king then we need to get you out of here before they come looking for you."

"Arthur won't report me to Uther, he wouldn't do that."

Merlin was trying to convince himself as much as Gaius. If he was honest with himself he didn't really know what Arthur would do in this situation. The prince's mind worked in strange ways at the best of times and Merlin wasn't able to predict what course of action Arthur would be leaning towards now.

"Merlin we have to expect the worse, we don't know what Arthur will do." Gaius was the voice of reason as always, "If it all blows over and he doesn't tell Uther then you can come back but until then I think that it's best that you leave. Go back to Ealdor; it's outside of Camelot so Arthur and Uther have no jurisdiction there."

When Merlin didn't make any move to follow Gaius' advice the older man pulled him out the chair and gently pushed him towards his small room.

"Go pack a bag, I'll go to the kitchen and see what supplies I can get for you."

Merlin numbly moved towards the door at the back of the room and entered his borrowed chambers. He surveyed the room and grabbed the bag resting in the corner that he usually packed when Arthur dragged him on one of his hunting trips. He knew Gaius was right; he had to leave until things at least blew over or Arthur came to terms with everything without informing Uther but he just couldn't bring himself to leave. He wanted to rush back to Arthur's chambers and explain everything.

However once again his courage failed him at the thought of facing Arthur's wrath. He slowly started packing his bag, praying to every god he could think of that things would be okay.

Before he had gotten any further there was a knock on the door. Merlin froze and turned to stare at the doorway. His heart beat frantically in his chest as he realised that this might be Uther's soldiers come to take him away. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm his panicking brain. It was clearly not Gaius at the door as he had no need to knock and Merlin couldn't see Arthur knocking if he had come to confront him so that ruled those two out.

And come to think of it Merlin didn't think that if a group of guards had been sent to arrest him then they would be knocking politely and giving him a chance to escape. Still holding the half packed bag Merlin moved cautiously into the main room as the knock came again. Merlin had just reached the door when a voice came echoing through.

"Merlin, are you in there? It's Leon; I need to talk to you."

Merlin frowned in confusion. The only time Leon came to see him was if Arthur had sent him with orders. However if that were the case then the knight wouldn't be sounding so tentative. And Merlin reasoned that if Arthur wanted him at the moment then he would most likely come looking for him himself. Also, if Leon was looking for him to arrest him then he wouldn't come alone against a dangerous sorcerer. Maybe he had come to warn him of Uther's hunt for him. However Merlin couldn't see Leon betraying his king for a simple servant. If it was Arthur then Merlin had a sneaking suspicion that the knight would side with his prince over his king, but not with his prince's manservant.

Whatever the reason the suspense was killing him and Merlin decided the best course of action was just to face the problem head on, something he was sure Gaius would warn him against were he here. However Merlin ignored the Gaius like voice in the back of his mind and pulled the door open.

The look of utmost relief crossed Leon's face as Merlin opened the door and looked at him puzzled. Leon seemed to hesitate and Merlin didn't see this as fitting with any scenario he had come up with. He decided to play it cool and pretend he didn't have a clue what was going on.

"Sir Leon, how can I help you?" Merlin asked pleasantly, stepping aside.

Leon moved past him into the room and stood nervously, surveying the room. Merlin frowned, completely confused. This behaviour was most unlike the knight. And, while he seemed to have more tact than most of his fellow knights, Merlin had never seen him as one to beat about the bush.

"Is everything okay?" He asked concerned.

"No...yes...well you see..." Leon broke off in frustration, unsure how to voice his concerns, "It's the prince."

Leon didn't miss the colour drain from Merlin's face at this news and wondered what had happened to cause this reaction. He wondered if Merlin had had something to do with Arthur's extreme behaviour. However he couldn't think of anything that their simple Merlin could have done that would cause the prince to become angry enough to trash his rooms.

"I'm worried about him. You see I was walking past his rooms and I heard this crashing noise inside. And then it suddenly stopped so I went in to see what had happened and he's trashed his whole room. He said he was redecorating but I'm concerned for his health. He wouldn't let me stay and, well, you're the only one who seems to be able to get through to him these days so I was hoping you could see if he was okay and find out what's wrong." Leon blurted, all his concerns rushing out at once.

Merlin was rather taken aback by this shock announcement which was the last thing he had thought Leon was here for. It seemed he had been right and the crashing had been Arthur taking his anger out on the room. At least he's not taking it out on me, Merlin thought wryly. He surveyed the knight in front of him and saw the genuine worry on the man's face. Merlin almost smiled at the complete loyalty Arthur seemed to induce in his knights. However this pleasant thought was short lived as he realised what these loyal knights would do to him if Arthur was to tell them his secret.

"Merlin?"

Leon was looking at him curiously and Merlin realised that he was waiting for a response. So caught up in his thoughts he had forgotten that he needed to reply. He cast round; searching for the right thing to say that would reassure the frazzled knight and get him to leave so Merlin could get on with fleeing.

"I'll be sure to check in on him." Merlin said, plastering a false smile on his face, "I just need to finish up here and then I'll go straight there. But I'm sure it's nothing, you know how he gets sometimes."

Leon smiled as he remembered how a teenage Arthur used to have terrible mood swings leaving the rest of them to walk around him as if on eggshells so as not to antagonise him. Though he hadn't seen Arthur so out of control for a long time now. However he knew that Merlin would be able to deal with it. There was something about the skinny servant that seemed to relax the prince, though Leon wondered whether part of it was just that Arthur had someone he could insult who would actually fight back. It had been good for him to find someone that would stand up to him and to learn that he couldn't get his way all the time.

Leon was about to leave, satisfied that his prince was in safe hands; figuratively speaking as nothing was safe if Merlin was holding it, he was the most clumsy person Leon had ever met, when his gaze landed on the bag in Merlin's hands.

"Are you going somewhere?" He asked curiously, wondering if this was linked to the prince's strange behaviour.

Merlin frowned at him for a moment before he realised what Leon was talking about. He somehow managed to keep control over his expression and stop it giving him away however inside he was panicking. He couldn't tell Leon the truth, that would end in certain death for him, so he cast around for a believable lie.

"Um...I was just finishing unpacking from the last hunting trip. Arthur's not exactly given me much time recently to do it."

Merlin mentally crossed his fingers, praying that Leon would believe this and leave. The knight seemed to pause for a moment before accepting Merlin's words.

"Well thank you, Arthur has a good servant in you. If there's anything I can do to help him just let me know."

With that Leon strode past Merlin and out the open door. Merlin stared after him for a moment before slowly pushing the door closed. He shook himself; the whole meeting had thrown him off completely. Remembering the urgency with which he was supposed to be packing Merlin covered the distance to his room in a few long strides and continued to rush around, trying to find everything he would need.

The conversation with Leon had convinced him that Arthur wasn't taking the news well. He felt an added sense of panic as, if Arthur was so angry that it was causing his knights to come find him with their concerns, then it must be serious. He prayed that he wasn't going to have to face Arthur's wrath any time soon, or the king's for that matter. Merlin could do without angry royals after him, as it would probably result in his death. He understood Gaius' reasoning that he needed to get out of Camelot. At least if Arthur then did decide that Merlin deserved death then he would be too far away for them to find him.

So caught up in his own thoughts and packing Merlin didn't hear the door to Gaius' chambers bang open and a figure stride in. He darted round his room; leaving more mess in his wake than was there originally. Satisfied that he had everything he would need he bent and pulled up the loose floorboard to tug out his most precious belonging, which also happened to be the most incriminating.

However that was the same moment that he heard someone clear their throat behind him. Merlin froze, hoping that he had imagined it. But now he was paying attention he could hear to figure behind him breathing heavily. Closing his eyes he turned round slowly, hoping he was mistaken as to the identity of the intruder. His eyes shot open and he was met with a pair of angry blue ones.

He had been right; Arthur was stood in front of him, glaring at him furiously.


	4. Part 4

**Sorry guys, I know I promised you this like a week ago but what I had done then was appalling and I don't think you'd have wanted to suffer through that. Also I know I said this was definitely going to be the last chapter but...well I lied. This chapter got so long that I've had to split it into two so there is another chapter after this one that should be up by the end of the week. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, and Roses-as-lips for the beta. I hope this is worth the wait. Enjoy and please review. x**

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Part four

They both stared at each other for a moment, neither wanting to be the first to speak. Arthur gazed round Merlin's small room, taking in the mess it was in; the clothes thrown everywhere, the packed bag and the book in Merlin's hands. Realising what he holding Merlin tried to hide the book behind him but it was too late, Arthur had seen exactly what it was. Anger flared inside of him again and he tried to control himself. Although all he wanted was to rant and scream at the boy in front of him he knew that he needed Merlin's help with his damn shirt and going in guns blazing would no doubt ruin any chance of getting the boy to cooperate. And a small part of him was still hoping that this was all a mistake and there was a logical explanation for everything, one that didn't involve him being betrayed by his closest friend.

"Going somewhere?" He asked, indicating Merlin's packed bag.

Merlin's gaze flickered from Arthur's face to the bag and back again. He knew that he'd been caught and that there wasn't really anything he could say to get out of it. However his mind still went into overdrive trying to find a way to explain everything. He slowly placed his magic book on the bed behind him and subtly tugged a stray neckerchief over it. Arthur was still staring at him impatiently, waiting for his answer.

"Um...well you see...I was just..." Merlin trailed off his spluttering, realising he was getting nowhere.

Arthur raised his eyebrows at him, clearly amused at Merlin's attempt to explain. Merlin briefly contemplated trying again but knew it was futile. He sighed and closed his eyes in despair. There was a moment of silence before he managed to build up the courage to open them again. He looked up and surveyed Arthur warily, waiting for the inevitable explosion. However Arthur seemed to be struggling with some sort of inner turmoil and didn't speak. He was debating what was the best course of action to take. The walk to Gaius' chambers had calmed him down slightly, however the anger inside of him had flared again when he'd seen the magic book. He was fuming at Merlin and wanted nothing better than to shout at the younger boy, but he also knew that he needed his help if he was ever going to find a way to get out of his shirt.

"Why?" Was all he managed to croak out.

Merlin frowned at him, unsure as to what he was asking. There were so many different ways the prince could mean that and Merlin didn't really want to risk guessing and getting it wrong.

"What?" Merlin questioned.

"Why would you learn magic? You of all people have seen the damage it has done. Why would you learn something so evil?"

"Magic isn't evil Arthur, its people who use magic for evil purposes, it's just the tool." Merlin tried to explain.

"I've seen enough magic to know that all it brings is death and destruction." Arthur angrily stated, staring at Merlin stubbornly.

"Magic itself isn't the cause of that; it's how it's used that creates destruction." Merlin pleaded.

Arthur looked at him unconvinced, it was going to take more than that to change the beliefs he'd held his whole life. Merlin saw that Arthur wasn't buying it so decided to find a different way to explain it.

"It's like your sword." Merlin started, causing Arthur to look at him sceptically, "Hear me out. In the wrong hands a sword can be used to kill innocent people and cause chaos. However in the hands of the right person who'll use it for the right purposes it can save those innocent people from those who wish to harm them. Magic is just the same; it can be used to destroy lives and families or it can be used to save those you care for."

Merlin fell silent, watching Arthur carefully as he seemed to consider this. He was half hoping that Arthur would pick up on the hint about saving people and realise what he had been doing all this time. But this seemed to go straight over Arthur's head. Arthur however could see the point of what Merlin was saying about swords, he'd seen enough raiders and outlaws to know the truth of it, however he had never considered the possibility of the same thing applying to magic. Maybe there was something in what Merlin was saying. But then he remembered one of the phrases his father was always spouting about magic; it corrupts the individual's soul, turning even the purest person evil.

"How do you know that it isn't the magic that corrupts the person making them evil?" He argued.

"Do you really think I'm evil Arthur?" Merlin asked his friend and master sadly.

Arthur had to admit that he was taken aback by Merlin's question. His first instinct was no, there was no way Merlin could be evil. But the seed of doubt had been planted by his betrayal and he was having to reconsider everything he thought about his manservant. Then the absurdity of the situation his him; this was Merlin for god's sake. Useless incompetent Merlin who wouldn't hurt a fly. In fact he'd always refuse to kill any insects in Arthur's room, insisting that he chase them out the window or capture them and take them outside. Well that time there was a rat in his room might be the exception to that, but Camelot had been in the middle of a famine and he had been demanding that the boy find him something to eat.

Arthur knew there was no way that Merlin was evil but that wasn't to say that if he continued practicing magic he wouldn't become evil. He eyed the raven haired boy carefully, looking for any sign that he'd changed, but he found nothing. If he was honest he wasn't even sure what he was looking for but his mind was spinning and he was having trouble making everything add up. Everything he'd been taught his whole life seemed to be breaking down around him and he wasn't quite sure what to do next.

"Well how do you know that you won't become evil if you keep practicing magic?" He asked stubbornly.

Merlin actually laughed at the absurdity of this. Arthur narrowed his eyes at his response. He didn't take well to having Merlin laugh at him after all this and didn't understand what there was to laugh about.

"Arthur I've had magic my whole life, I was born like this. If it was going to corrupt me it would have happened a long time ago." Merlin explained.

Arthur's brow furrowed as his frown increased. This was news to him. He had always been taught that magic had to be learnt and therefore those who had it had purposely set out to defy the laws of Camelot. However if what Merlin was saying was true then he'd had no choice in his possession of magic.

Suddenly the implication of this hit him. If magic was a skill some people had since birth then this meant that they had been punishing people for something that had no control over. It was almost the same as executing people for the colour of their hair.

Arthur closed his eyes in despair and rubbed his forehead with one hand. Everything that he had been taught his whole life, everything that Camelot stood for when it came to magic, was crashing around him.

"How is that possible?" He asked confused, "You have to study magic, it takes years to learn."

"For some people yes." Merlin explained quietly, knowing the conflict that was raging in Arthur's mind, "But for others it is a part of who they are from birth. Magic flows in my veins Arthur; it would be about as easy for me to stop using it as it is for you to stop breathing."

As Arthur pondered this he felt a cold chill down his spine as he realised the true extent of his father's blindness when it came to magic. Faces flashed across his eyelids; faces of the people he had seen executed for using magic. He remembered even as a small child being made to stand and watch as his father condemned people to burn for something he wasn't really old enough to understand. Their screams had haunted his nightmares for weeks afterwards and he remembered finally being able to sleep peacefully when he was forced to attend another one.

His eyes snapped open as he pushed the visions that had haunted his youth away. He was now starting to understand that many of them had been killed for something they couldn't help. He realised that the suffering and fear that Camelot had lived under for the past twenty years may have been unnecessary for many. For if Merlin, the least evil person he knew, could have magic then Uther's policies were clearly flawed.

Arthur's gaze landed back on Merlin and he realised that he hadn't asked the one question that had been bothering him the most. The one he wasn't really sure he wanted the answer to.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

A flicker of emotions flashed across Merlin's face at this question. Guilt was the most prominent but Arthur thought he spotted alarm, apprehension and even hope cross the other boy's face.

Merlin had known this was coming since he opened his mouth and announced he was a warlock. He could see the betrayal Arthur felt written all over his face but he stood by the decisions he'd made in regards to his magic since coming to Camelot but it wasn't going to be easy persuading Arthur he'd done the right thing. However a small glimmer of hope flickered inside of him. Merlin had been expecting Arthur to come barging in and start shouting at him until he wore himself out and finally let him explain. But this hadn't come so Merlin hoped that maybe this meant that Arthur wasn't quite as angry as he expected.

"How could I?" Merlin asked quietly, "If I'd have told you when we first met you'd have had me executed for sure."

Arthur had to admit Merlin had a point. The two of them hadn't got off to a great start and he was ashamed to admit that he would probably have taken any excuse to get rid of his new manservant. However their relationship had changed and grown since then and he was feeling hurt that Merlin hadn't trusted him enough to tell him now.

"What about now? After all we've been through you didn't feel the need to tell me?" Arthur asked feeling hurt.

"I tried!" Merlin exclaimed, "I did tell you once remember, when Gwen was going to be executed, but you didn't believe me! And then every other time I tried you deemed me to idiotic to know anything about magic."

"Well you should have tried harder!" Arthur fumed, "All I know is that after everything we've been through you still couldn't trust me enough to tell me!" He sighed and looked at Merlin sadly, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know." Merlin replied honestly, "I didn't want to put you in the position of having to choose between me and Camelot."

Arthur pondered this. He was still feeling hurt that Merlin hadn't trusted enough to tell him when he had let Merlin in much further than anyone for a long time. However he could see where Merlin was coming from; he was already feeling conflicted between his friend's safety and upholding the laws of Camelot.

Silence fell over the pair as each party considered the other. Nervousness had overtaken Merlin again as he wondered what Arthur was going to do next. He didn't seem to be as angry as he had when Merlin had first told him however he knew that Arthur had been trained all his life to hide his emotions from everyone and so could be holding it back. His impassive mask gave nothing away and Merlin shifted uncomfortably on the spot.

"So what are you going to do now?" He asked quietly.

"I don't know."

Arthur's words were full of honesty but Merlin felt his heart sink at them. He knew this was a lot for the prince to take in but he was still hoping he would keep his secret eventually. Conflict was filling Arthur and everything he had been taught his whole life was battling with what Merlin had told him and all he knew about his clumsy manservant.

Merlin sank down onto his bed in despair, unsure what was going to happen now. However he had forgotten that he had placed his magic book there earlier and his bum connected rather painfully with it. Pulling it out from underneath him Merlin chucked it aside, he knew Arthur had seen it earlier and it was futile to hide it now, it wasn't like it could make anything worse.

Curiosity had sparked within Arthur when he had first seen the book with such strange symbols on the front and when Merlin threw it across the room he couldn't resist. He glanced at Merlin, who had sunk his head into his hands and was not looking at him, and moved over to where it had landed on the floor. Picking it up Arthur riffled through the pages idly, pausing whenever he stumbled upon anything interesting. He stopped on a page that had a spell to 'bring inanimate objects to life' and something stirred in his memory. He remembered fighting Sir Valiant and the snakes on the other man's shield coming to life, revealing the fraud he was.

Curious Arthur kept reading. The next page that peaked his interest was one depicting how to 'conjure a ball of light' and Arthur remembered the mysterious blue light that had appeared in front of him in the cave when had been searching for the flower to cure the poisoned Merlin which had led him to safety and without which he would have probably died. Flicking through more of the pages Arthur found some of them were more worn than others. Glancing at the most used pages he found levitation spells, spells for slowing objects down and many other spells for protecting others. He realised how many times Merlin may have used these to protect him and others.

However before he could ponder this any longer he found the book snatched out of his hands and glanced up to see Merlin holding it to his chest protectively, glaring at Arthur. Suddenly the prince realised how much Merlin must have done for him over the couple of years they had known each other.

"How many times?"

Merlin frowned at Arthur in confusion as he asked that. The prince seemed to be full of half explained cryptic questions and Merlin didn't have the foggiest idea as to what he meant this time either. He was unsure as to why Arthur had felt the need to riffle through his magic book but was praying that this wouldn't make things worse. He didn't move from his position, eyeing Arthur warily, uncertain as to what the prince was going to do next.

"What?" He asked slowly.

"How many times have you saved my life?"

Merlin's eyes widened in shock and he stared at Arthur incredulous. That was the last thing he thought Arthur would come up with after riffling through his magic book. After all the time he had spent hiding what he'd done he had never expected Arthur to ask him the question that, frankly he had lost count of the answer. He examined the prince's face for any sign that this was a trick however he found only curiosity written across it. Arthur's eyes told another story. Although they were lacking the level of anger and hatred they had contained when he had first heard the news, they still held traces of the betrayal and anguish that Merlin had seen earlier.

The young warlock tried to respond however he found his voice caught in his throat and he couldn't quite get the words out. He backed away as he tried to get his voice back under control and only stopped when he had reached the other side of the room. Although Arthur had calmed down and Merlin deemed him unlikely to explode at him he still felt a wave of panic wash through him. He had spent the whole time he was in Camelot hiding everything he had done for them and having to now tell Arthur was going against everything he had done and part of his mind was rebelling against this revelation. He was also wary of what his answer could do to the prince's pride and didn't really want to risk it making him angrier. However knew that he had to answer.

"I've lost count." Merlin replied truthfully once he regained use of his voice.

His words came out as barely more than a whisper however Arthur heard him loud and clear. The prince contemplated him calmly. Whilst riffling through Merlin's book many things that hadn't really made sense over the time had known Merlin started to click in his mind. All those strange situations where they had been blatantly outnumbered and managed to escape relatively unscathed suddenly made sense. All those times that Merlin had seemed to just sit there and do nothing yet remain unhurt were now explained.

Arthur realised just how much Merlin had done for him since they had met and it was his turn to stare in shock. All those times Arthur had thought he and Camelot were dead for sure it had been Merlin that had saved them all, Merlin that had prevented them from being overrun by sorcerers. Arthur had known that he had owed his life to Merlin, there had been that time when they first met and a couple after that that he had been aware of, but he hadn't known the extent of it. From what Merlin had said he seemed to be implying that there had been more times than the handful Arthur knew about.

His legs suddenly felt week beneath him and he moved swiftly over to the bed and sat down on the spot that Merlin had vacated moments before. Suddenly all the arguments as to why he should hand Merlin over to his father seemed insubstantial. He had clearly done much more for Arthur and the kingdom in the small amount of time he had been here than some of their most experienced knights. He couldn't send him to his death as reward for that. Arthur knew that they were going to have to sit down and have a long talk, something he hated, about all of this. There was clearly more to magic than he knew and he had to learn more about it, despite what his father thought, if he was to be a fair and just king.

Coming out of his thoughts, Arthur's gaze flicked up to look at the young warlock on the other side of the room. Merlin was surveying him carefully and Arthur could see the fear in his eyes. He felt his heart constrict to see his friend looking at him so apprehensively. He knew that Merlin could probably dispatch of him easily without even moving, yet he was the one looking so scared of the man in front of him. And that itself showed Arthur that there was no way Merlin was a threat to him or anyone that didn't deserve it. The look in his eyes made it clear that Merlin wasn't planning on doing a thing to protect himself from Arthur no matter what he decided to do.

"I'll keep your secret."

The words hung in the air between them. Merlin blinked slowly, his eyes widening in shock. He couldn't dare to hope that Arthur meant what he thought he did; he didn't think he'd be able to handle it if he was wrong. However despite this he couldn't help the small flicker of anticipation that sprung inside of him at Arthur's words.

"What?" Merlin asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"I'm not going to tell anyone." Arthur replied calmly.

Merlin's face broke into the biggest smile Arthur had ever seen as his meaning finally sunk in. Merlin had to restrain himself from launching himself on Arthur and hugging him, knowing how the prince felt about hugs, or any display of emotion at all. He took a few deep, gulping breaths, trying to get himself to calm down and his body back under his control.

"Thank you." Merlin said, his voice full of raw emotion.

"Well there wasn't really anything else I could do." Arthur said, shrugging uncomfortably.

"Yes there was." Merlin said quietly.

Arthur knew exactly what Merlin meant but just nodded in response, never one for emotional moments. They sat in comfortable silence for a moment before Arthur decided to change the subject.

"Does anyone else know?"

"No." Merlin replied, "Well only Gaius."

Arthur smiled wryly at this. It seems Merlin wasn't quite as adapt at hiding it as he'd thought. Though he was curious as to how the physician had found out as he couldn't see him approving of Merlin using magic often. As if he knew what Arthur was thinking Merlin spoke up.

"When we first met I saved his life with it."

"You seem to be doing a lot of that." Arthur pointed out.

Merlin flushed slightly and looked away. He shifted uncomfortably on the spot as he felt Arthur's eyes boring into him.

"So, what do we do now?" He asked nervously.

"Well for starters you can find a way to get me out this damn shirt. And then after that I seem to recall that you still have to finish tidying my chambers and I'm sure you mentioned something about not having done any of my laundry and then after that I'm sure my stables will need mucking out." Arthur stated imperiously.

Merlin rolled his eyes at him with a sigh and just like that all the tension that had developed between them disappeared.

"Prat." Merlin muttered before opening the book in his hands.


	5. Part 5

**See look, I told you guys that the next part would be up quick. I know it's a surprise, don't die of shock! Though I think this is might be a record for me. ;) Anyway this is the final instalment of AMRS and I hope you enjoy it as much as the rest. Thank you to all the awesome people who've read, reviewed and favourated, I love you guys. And massive thanks to Roses-as-lips for the beta, your a star babe. I hope you enjoy this. x**

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Part five

Merlin skimmed through the pages and loose sheets that were always scattered randomly through his magic book for something that would solve Arthur's problem. In all the commotion about his magic he had forgotten about Arthur's mysterious reappearing shirt. If he was honest he didn't have the first clue as to how to go about removing the curse on it, but he wasn't going to tell Arthur that.

His eyes landed on a page that explained a spell for removing unwanted things. He scanned the spell quickly. It was a simple enough spell and it didn't look like it would have any repercussions if it didn't work.

"_Astyrung pys cemes._"

Arthur watched in amazement as Merlin spoke the strange words. He felt the power pouring from the young warlock and had to restrain a gasp as he saw Merlin's eyes turn gold, displaying the magic running through his veins.

However almost as soon as it had started it was over. Arthur glanced down at himself and saw he was still wearing the shirt. He assessed himself slowly; he didn't feel any different however he wasn't sure what the spell was supposed to do. He moved to remove his shirt but paused, looking to Merlin for confirmation. Merlin nodded at him and Arthur pulled the top over his head and threw it behind him.

Unfortunately the moment he did he felt it reappear back on him. He sighed and turned to look at Merlin to see the frustration he was feeling reflected on the other boy's face.

"Well that didn't work." Merlin pointed out.

"Yes I can see that." Arthur said sarcastically.

Merlin rolled his eyes and turned back to the book. Further down the page he saw an alternative spell scribbled by a different hand at the bottom of the page. There wasn't anything else written around and Merlin decided it was worth a shot.

"_Á__bregdan serce_."

Once again Merlin's eyes flashed gold and Arthur found himself transfixed by the sight that seemed to strange on his manservant but also like this was who he really was. However before he could begin to unravel this strange feeling, there was a bright flash of light and Arthur found himself thrown backwards onto the bed. He lay there, sprawled out on the bed for a moment trying to clear the spots in his vision caused by the flash. Eventually the world came back into view and he saw Merlin staring at him horrified.

"Are you alright?" He asked frantically.

"I'm fine." Arthur replied briskly, sitting up, "Don't ever do that again." He warned, pointing at him threateningly.

Merlin nodded in agreement, still worried that he had hurt Arthur. However the prince looked fine and he stripped his shirt off to see if Merlin's spell had worked. But, as had happened the last time, the shirt reappeared on Arthur. They both sighed and Merlin turned back to his trusty book, turning the page swiftly.

"This is going to take longer than I thought."

~#~#~

Hours later Merlin was sat slumped on the floor, slowly turning the few remaining pages in his book. They had been trying to counter the spell on Arthur's shirt all afternoon but nothing seemed to have worked. They had been interrupted halfway through by a frantic Gaius who hadn't known that Arthur was okay with Merlin's magic and had still been collecting the things Merlin would need to make the journey to Ealdor. It had taken them a while to calm the old man down and explain things but he had eventually agreed to keep the king occupied so that he didn't notice Arthur's absence.

Merlin had felt a slight twinge of guilt that Gaius had been worrying all that time, trying to help him stay alive, whilst he had known that he was no longer in danger. However the frustration of his task soon pushed any guilt out of his mind as he tried to help Arthur. But nothing he tried worked. They hadn't had anything as explosive as the second spell had been but a few had caused some chaos leaving his room even messier than normal. Most of the spells however had just done nothing and both of them were getting more and more frustrated. Furthermore the effort of using so many spells in such a short amount of time was taking its toll on Merlin and he could feel himself growing wearier and more irritable with every spell he cast.

Arthur was pacing around Merlin's tiny room, too agitated to sit still. He had thought it would be easy to fix this now he knew Merlin was a warlock. He had thought that Merlin would just have to speak a quick spell and he would be free. But it turned out it was much more complicated than that. As they didn't know what spell had been used to curse the shirt Merlin was trying to work bind and they weren't having much luck.

He turned to look at the young warlock who had stopped flicking through the book and was now massaging his forehead with his eyes closed, his head leaning on the wall behind him. He sighed in exasperation. Why wasn't Merlin still looking? It wasn't like he was the one suffering; he wasn't the one that would be trapped in the same shirt for the rest of his life.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

The words came out a little harsher than Arthur had intended and Merlin's eyes snapped open as he turned to look at the prince angrily.

"I'm trying to help you, you prat. I don't have an endless supply of magic and I now have a raging headache from all these damn spells so can you stop pacing and just be quiet!" Merlin snapped at him.

Arthur looked slightly guilty. He had never stopped to think that this would be taking its toll on Merlin but now he looked he could see the other boy was paler than normal and his cheeks were flushed with the effort.

"Sorry." He mumbled, moving to sit on the bed.

Merlin restrained himself from staring at Arthur incredulously. The prince hardly ever apologised but Merlin didn't want to stop him from staying quiet. He realised that he must look as bad as he felt if it was causing Arthur to apologise. He sighed and turned a couple more useless pages. He really wanted to throw the book across his room angrily and crawl into his bed and fall asleep. However he knew he couldn't do this. Not only because his bed was currently occupied by Arthur who was sat on it and trying to stop himself from shifting impatiently, but because he owed it to him to find the solution in repayment for all the lies he had told him.

However the need to sleep was growing stronger and he felt his eyes unfocus as he turned the page again. The words blurred into illegible scribbles in front of his eyes but he managed to pick out enough to make him sit up in excitement. He blinked frantically, clearing his vision, as he stared down at the page. The page was mainly blank but in the middle there was a spell for countering simple curses. Merlin didn't think the spell that had been put on Arthur's shirt was a complex one, despite his lack of success at removing it, so it might just work.

"What is it?" Arthur asked, picking up on Merlin's excitement.

"I think I've found it." Merlin replied, looking up at Arthur with a smile.

Arthur smiled back and Merlin turned back to the book and read the page carefully. It seemed simple enough but he had been fooled by that thought before. Once he was sure he knew how to pronounce it all properly he turned to look back at Arthur, practically bubbling with excitement. He didn't want to think about what would happen if this didn't work as there were only a few more pages after this one left of his book. He took a deep breath before trying the spell.

"_Wipslean ceargealdot, __á__wendan __á__wiergedness_."

This time Arthur felt the change in the room. As Merlin cast the spell something seemed to shift around them. Arthur's eyes widened at the alien feeling. He knew it was magic but he had never felt magic like this. Now he thought about it he had rarely even seen magic that wasn't being used to harm or manipulate him.

The feeling past swiftly and the two boys eyes connected as they both wondered the same thing; had it worked? Arthur swiftly pulled off his shirt for what felt like the hundredth time that day and threw it on the floor in front of him. Trepidation grew inside of him as he realised that if this didn't work it was unlikely that they were going to find the solution. His stomach clenched as he squeezed his eyes shut tight.

Arthur froze in shock and slowly opened his eyes, fearful of what he was going to see. However when he opened them he saw the shirt was still lying on the floor. It took a moment for this to sink in but when it finally did Arthur tore his gaze away from it to look at Merlin. The raven haired boy was looking back at him with a huge smile spread across his face. It was only then that the truth of what had happened fully hit him. It had worked; he was free.

A smile spread across his face, matching Merlin's, and Arthur closed his eyes in relief. Merlin sighed as relief flooded through him and leant his head on the wall behind him. He could feel the exhaustion from casting all those spells catching up with him and he felt his eyelids drooping as sleep washed over him.

But he was jolted out of his stupor as Arthur suddenly lurched out of his seat and swiftly exited the room. Merlin blinked rapidly, trying to clear his foggy head. He scrambled to his feet and made his way cautiously towards the doorway to the larger room. He found Arthur on the other side of the room bent over the fireplace. Merlin leant against the doorframe for support and watched Arthur curiously. He seemed to be prodding something in the fire viciously. He moved slightly and Merlin caught a glimpse of what was in the fire. It was the shirt.

"Don't you think that's a little unnecessary?" Merlin asked.

Arthur turned round surprised and spotted Merlin in the doorway.

"No." He replied stubbornly, "I never want to see that thing again."

Merlin rolled his eyes at Arthur's behaviour and turned back towards his room, intending to fall into his bed and sleep for as long as possible. However Arthur seemed to have other ideas.

"Where are you going?" Arthur demanded, "I need you to go fetch me another shirt, one that isn't cursed this time. And then there's that list of jobs for you to do."

"Arthur!" Merlin whined, "I'm tired! I just solved your shirt problem; surely I should get a break after that."

"But you also lied to me for two years so I think that cancels that out." Arthur pointed out.

Merlin sighed dramatically and pushed away from the door frame and crossed Gaius' room.

"Prat." He muttered fondly as he exited the room.

"Idiot!" Arthur called after him with a smile.

~#~#~

Elaine smiled as she gazed down into the image of the two boys in the pool of water. The blonde and the raven haired boys seemed to have returned back to their normal teasing relationship. She whispered a few words and her eyes flashed gold as the image in the scrying pool disappeared. It was clear that her plan had worked and she no longer needed to monitor the two boys.

She had been watching them for some time. Watching their relationship develop over the last few months. Seen the near death situations that they kept ending up in. How the brunette had saved the blonde with magic over and over again whilst still managing to hide it. She had known for a while that the time was coming for Emyrs to tell the Pendragon prince the truth but he was stubbornly refusing to. She had been scrying the future of Camelot and seen the danger that would face the pair. She could feel it coming closer every day and knew that they wouldn't be able to beat it unless the truth came out.

However every time she thought Emyrs was getting close to telling the prince something always seemed to happen and he would change his mind. She had known that the truth wasn't going to come out on its own; she was going to have to do something to help it along. It had taken her a while to come up with a plan. She couldn't risk anything dangerous in case it went wrong, she didn't want to harm them. It had been easy to slip into the castle disguised as one of the maids and hide her cursed shirt in with some of the prince's others. She'd thought she'd come up with a foolproof plan, though it hindsight it was completely flawed.

She'd watched Pendragon pace round and round his room, trying to find a solution on his own. She'd hoped that he would go straight to his trusted manservant for help but it seemed he had decided to try and fix it on his own. She'd been practically tearing her hair out with frustration when luckily Emyrs headed towards Pendragon's room of his own accord. She had held her breath in anticipation as they had tried to find a solution. It had taken a while but eventually Emyrs' conscious got the better of him and he had spilled his secret.

However Pendragon's reaction was not the one that Elaine was hoping for. His anger at Emyrs had made her question whether she had done the right thing. But she couldn't take it back now; all she could do now was watch and see how it would unfold. She had seen Emyrs start to flee Camelot and her heart had sunk at the chaos she had caused. Her only hope had been the figure of the prince she had seen heading toward Emyrs' chambers.

Relief had coursed through her as she had seen the pair start to talk about it. After what felt like an age to Elaine the pair finally worked it out and she had let out a huge sigh of relief that her plan had paid off. However guilt had started to gnaw away at her as the pair struggled to find away to remove the shirt. She had known that it could only be removed by magic, but she didn't realise it would be so tricky for them to find a counter curse. Emyrs was supposed to be the most powerful warlock ever; she had thought it would be simple for him. But it seemed he still had a lot to learn.

Finally Emyrs had found the counter-curse and the prince had managed to permanently remove the shirt. She had sighed in exasperation as Pendragon had burnt the shirt unnecessarily. She moved away from the stone basin and sat down on a rock in the cave she had been hiding out in. She had spent most of her life on the run from Uther's men for her gifts. This cave had been her sanctuary for the past year but it was feeling less like a prison now she knew that the future was safe, that a time was coming when she wouldn't have to hide who she really was and could live in peace.


End file.
